


Thought You Were Smaller

by That_One_Hufflepuff



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Rescue Missions, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-07-13 04:07:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16009961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/That_One_Hufflepuff/pseuds/That_One_Hufflepuff
Summary: Just a quick fluffy lil oneshot from Captain America: The First Avenger. It's the scene where Steve finds Bucky and I just... added a few things. Hope ya like it!





	Thought You Were Smaller

When Bucky comes out of the sedatives he’s been under, he wakes to a haze of pain. It shoots through his limbs and echoes in his chest cavity. The restraints that tie him down to this table have been on for so long and are so tight that his limbs have started going numb. His breathing is strained, the faint light from the windows lances into his eyes painfully, and he can hardly think. He groans, and hears a patter of footsteps. Well, shit, he thinks, trying to retreat back into his mind. The footsteps are light, hesitant at first and then stronger. 

“Sargeant… Three-two-five-five-seven,” Bucky says on instinct. The mental training they’d forced into him had come back to life, but Bucky still stares upwards with lifeless eyes even as a face comes into view.

“Bucky?” he heard a voice ask. It sounds familiar, but everything is still so fuzzy… 

“Oh, my god,” the voice says, and Bucky feels blood rush back into his body as the restraints are ripped away, sending pins and needles up and down his legs. His vision comes back into focus a little, and a face appears.

 

“Is- is that…” His attempt to speak is weak and hoarse, but the face above him and the voice that accompanies it makes up for the embarrassment. 

“It’s me. It’s Steve.” Bucky can hardly believe it. _It’s Stevie. His Stevie_. One of Steve’s lips quirks up in a half-grin at Bucky’s disbelief, and _damn_ Bucky wants to kiss those lips, to hold Steve close until the only thing he can remember is heat and light and _Stevie_ , but he reminds himself that they need to get out of here, then he can do whatever he wants.

“Steve,” he says, trying out the name for the first time in what feels like forever. A grin comes to his face as he feels the familiar letters roll off his tongue. 

“C’mon,” Steve says, wrapping his arms around Bucky to pick him up.

“Steve,” Bucky says again, ridiculously happy despite the circumstances. Steve hauls him off the table and they stand facing each other. Steve is panting a little from lifting Bucky and looks him up and down, assessing him for injuries. He reaches out a hand and cups Bucky’s cheek for a second, then drops it. Bucky wants to reach down and put that hand right back where it was and just stay there, but there’s no time for that now. 

“I thought you were dead,” Steve tells him, holding him loosely by the shoulders. Bucky gives Steve a once-over too, taking in his new height and muscles and no-longer-boniness and- _Not time for that, either_ , he tells himself, forcing himself to keep his cool.

“I thought you were smaller,” he tells Steve wryly. He thinks he sees Steve leaning in a little, and hope bubbles in his chest like a small volcano, but an explosion shatters their relative peace. 

“C’mon,” Steve says again, and presses Bucky tightly to his side with one arm. He relishes the contact and leans into Steve’s solid body (now taller than him, he notices) as Steve drags him across the floor, moving his legs feebly. More explosions are heard outside and Bucky flinches a bit at each.

“What happened to you?” he asks, looking up at Steve’s face, which is still mostly the same- the same cornsilk-blonde hair and adorable baby blue eyes. 

“I joined the Army!” Steve says, and Bucky doesn’t miss the excitement in Steve’s voice. Even after all this time, Steve still loves the idea of fighting for his country.

 

As they continue out the door and down the corridor, the sounds of a raging battle can be heard. They move as quickly as possible through the dimly lit corridor, and though Bucky can now stumble more efficiently Steve keeps him close, supporting him. 

“Missed you, Buck,” he says quietly, almost so quiet that Bucky can’t hear him. He looks up and sees that Steves eyes are shinier than usual.

“Aw, Stevie, don’t cry,” he says, trying to keep himself from crying too as they stumble down the corridor. “‘M here now. Missed you too.”

 

A few minutes later they’re still moving along, and soon enough Steve lets Bucky walk on his own, allowing Bucky to see more of his new form. He’s now got real arms and legs, as opposed to the tiny twigs he had before, and his torso has widened and deepened into a warm, broad, muscular frame.

“Did it hurt?” Bucky asks as he stumbles along behind Steve, who is moving at a quick pace.

“A little,” Steve responds without looking back.

“‘S this permanent?” Bucky asks again, this time with a bit of an edge to his voice. He’s not really complaining- this new, muscular Steve is definitely something he can deal with, but he already misses tiny, pre-serum Steve, the one Bucky could completely envelop whenever he held him, the one who felt like a tiny bird in Bucky’s arms, the one who Bucky always had to protect and look out for. 

“So far!” Steve chirps back, not missing the sliver of resentment in Bucky’s voice. He glances over his shoulder at the stumbling figure to check on him, and Bucky curses himself a little, for being so weak. 

 

They continue onwards, moving at a quick clip past door after door, and at one point Steve stops suddenly. 

“Buck?” he asks, turning on his heel.  
“Yeah, Stevie?” Bucky replies, a concerned look on his face. “What is it?”

“I- I just…” Steve looks down, then takes a quick step forward and envelops Bucky in a hug, nearly squeezing the air out of him. “Don’t you ever, ever, ever scare me like that again, you jerk.”

“Punk,” Bucky says back, voice muffled by Steve’s leather jacket. Steve’s body is warm and solid, and Bucky wishes he could stay like this forever, wrapped up and held so strongly and surely by the most perfect human in existence. Suddenly an explosion rocks the building and Steve releases him, whirling around and starting to jog in the direction of the explosion. Bucky follows as quickly as he can, cursing whoever detonated it for ruining the moment. Even moving as quickly as he can he ends up tailing the other man by about ten feet or so. Steve being a giant might be a nice thing, he decides. He’ll need some time to come up with a concrete decision.

 

Maybe seeing Steve without his heavy leather jacket and helmet and goggles and uniform and dirt (and just clothes in general) will help. Maybe Bucky’ll have to wait a while for that, given the lack of privacy around the base.

But that’s something worth waiting for, Bucky thinks. He’ll figure it out.

**Author's Note:**

> Might add more chapters but this'll probably just stay as a oneshot. I'm trying to upload more chapters on another fic and start another one at the same time so I might not have time to add on to this, but let me know if you really love it and I'll keep writing if people like it a lot!


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